The financial barriers to caring for a child with an eating disorder
Research type
Research Study
Full title
What is the financial cost of caring for a child with an Eating Disorder and to what extent does this impact family functioning and act as a barrier to treatment?
IRAS ID
313428
Contact name
Hannah Shaw
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Holloway University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 10 days
Research summary
Eating Disorders (EDs) are responsible for more loss of life than any other mental health condition, and incur significant costs for society, healthcare systems, sufferers and carers. Research has found that financial costs impede access to treatment and cost-related non-adherence has been associated with poorer quality of life and a more threatening perception of the illness. The current study aims to find out the financial cost of caring for a child with an ED, if it acts as a barrier to treatment, and if this is moderated by the household’s financial situation. We are also interested in finding out whether the financial impact of an ED is associated with the impacts on other aspects of family life. Families will be recruited through CAMHS ED services and will be invited to fill in a semi-structured questionnaire. The primary outcome measures are financial cost of illness, the cost-related impact on treatment, the household’s financial situation, and the impact of illness on the family. We expect to find that the financial cost of illness will be positively correlated with the impact on the family and the cost-related impact on treatment. We also anticipate that the household’s financial situation will moderate these effects.
REC name
South West - Central Bristol Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/SW/0066
Date of REC Opinion
9 May 2022
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion